LANCASTER, Pa. – Freshman Colin Farrell (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) dropped 16 points, sophomore Ryan McKeon (Landenberg, Pa./Sanford) turned in his first career double-double, and Gettysburg College hit its highest number of free throws in seven years as the Bullets took down rival Franklin & Marshall College 73-65 in the Mayser Center on Wednesday night.
 

                   
Gettysburg's Top Performers

• Colin Farrell '25: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 10-12 FT
• Avery Close '22 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville): 14 points
• Ryan McKeon '24: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
• Elijah Williams '23 (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends): 10 points
• Rassoul Abakar '25 (Cameroon/Notre Dame Fairfield): 6 points, 6 rebounds

 
F&M's Top Performers

• John Seidman: 16 points, 5 rebounds
• Riiny Giir: 14 points
• Josh Parra: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks

 
Game Summary - First Half

• The hosts grabbed the early momentum with a 7-0 run and took a 9-4 lead on a lay-up by Solomon Mathis with 14:31 to play in the first half. The margin ballooned to 12 (24-12) on a three-pointer by Justin Peirce with just over eight minutes remaining.
• Gettysburg steadily chipped away at the lead with most of the heavy lifting coming at the free throw line. The aggressive attack by the visitors led to 16 attempted free throws in the final eight minutes, with the team hitting all but four. Farrell was perfect in his six trips to the free throw line with his final two of the period pulling the Bullets within five (30-25) at 4:17.
• Gettysburg held F&M scoreless over the final two minutes of the half and a lay-up by Close set the score at 36-30 heading into the locker room.

 
Game Summary - Second Half

• The Diplomats were intent on building their lead, reaching an eight-point advantage three times in the first four minutes. The hosts couldn't convert at the line, however, hitting only 7-of-17 free throw attempts in the second half as Gettysburg continued to build momentum.
• A three-pointer by sophomore Antonello Baggi (Cremona, Italy/West Deptford (N.J.)) ignited Gettysburg with 12 minutes to play. The shot cut the deficit to 45-43 and following a free throw by Farrell, Close gave Gettysburg its first lead since 4-2 by knocking down a mid-range jumper that made it 46-45 at 10:27.
• That was the first of nine lead changes over the last 10 minutes of play. Each time one team would grab the lead, the other would answer right away. A McKeon block led directly to an old-fashioned three-point play for Williams to push Gettysburg ahead 62-59, but back-to-back lay-ups by Parra put the Diplomats back in front 63-62.
• The Bullets took the lead for good when McKeon converted under the hoop and knocked down the free throw after being fouled. Trailing 65-63, F&M was unable to answer, missing a pair of free throws on the next possession, while the Bullets calmly walked to the line and knocked down five free throws inside the final 1:49.

 
By the Numbers

• The Bullets connected on 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) field goals in the second half and finished the game 22-of-49 (44.9 percent) overall. Franklin & Marshall finished 23-of-56 (41.1 percent) overall and shot just 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) at the free throw line. Gettysburg also dominated the glass 42-26.
• Gettysburg finished 28-of-36 (77.8 percent) from the free throw line and hit 14-of-18 shots from the line in each half of play. The 28 made free throws marked the team's highest total since knocking down 29 at the charity stripe against Washington College on Jan. 24, 2015.
• After going to the free throw line just nine times in his previous five games, Farrell attempted a dozen free throws Thursday night. He hit double-figure points for the seventh time this season.
• McKeon posted his first career double-double and padded his career high for rebounds by four with a dozen caroms. Most of his glasswork came on the defensive end with 10 rebounds to compliment his two blocked shots.

 
Where the Series Stands
Gettysburg won its third-straight decision over Franklin & Marshall and improved its lead in the all-time series to 119-106.
 
Next Up
Gettysburg hosts No. 16 Swarthmore College (13-1, 7-0 CC) on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m.